READ TO SUCCEED BUFFALO INC

Read to Succeed Buffalo's AARP Foundation Experience Corps is a volunteer-based tutoring program that connects older adults to their communities by engaging them in the intergenerational work of helping young students become better readers. The program helps older adult volunteers maintain a sense of purpose by putting their wisdom to work, at the same time addressing a major contributor to poverty: the inability of children to read at grade level by the end of third grade.

According to one study, 96 percent of volunteers reported feeling better about themselves after working with Experience Corps, and more than 85 percent of volunteers felt that their lives had improved because of their involvement with the program.

During the 2020-2021 school year, 2,200 Experience Corps tutoring sessions were conducted resulting in 81% of 1st Graders achieving benchmark in oral reading (ORF) accuracy, up from 26% at beginning of year and 78% of 2nd Graders achieving benchmark in ORF accuracy, up from 35% at beginning of year, and 90% of 3rd Graders achieving benchmark in ORF accuracy; up from 11% at beginning of year.